How to Clean Outdoor Furniture Cushions?

Outdoor cushions will make your outdoor living beautiful and comfortable. But outdoors, they are easily contaminated with dirt, oil stains, mold and other stains, so they need to be cleaned frequently to keep the mat hygienic and beautiful. The specific method of cleaning the outdoor mat will depend on the type of stain you want to clean and the type of fabric you want to treat.

Most outdoor furniture mats are specially coated to protect against UV rays and water. Therefore, before cleaning, you should first check the precautions on the mat label, and understand the mat fabric and filler to understand the specific cleaning instructions and restrictions. If the mat is missing a label, please visit the manufacturer's website.

Cleaning tools for outdoor furniture cushions

Gloves, brushes, microfiber cloth, pressure washer, spatula, garden hose, detergent, laundry detergent, bleach, starch, fabric protection spray

How to clean outdoor furniture cushions by hand?

1. Choose sunny weather, place cushions of outdoor furniture on the driveway or terrace, and spray each cushion with water to ensure that cushions are fully moistened. Be careful not to put these cushions on the lawn to avoid contamination with dirt and weeds.
2. Use a brush to fully apply the dish soap to that cushions. Scrub the entire area of these cushions to produce a lot of foam. For severe stains or moldy areas, you need to apply more detergent, then let it rest on these cushions for 5-10 minutes to allow the solution to fully penetrate the stain, and then wipe it with a brush.
3. Rinse the outdoor furniture cushions thoroughly with a hose to ensure that the detergent is rinsed out to avoid leaving white traces of the detergent after each cushion is dried.
4. Spray fabric protection sprays on the entire area of these cushions to form a protective layer.
5. Press these cushions with your hands to remove most of the moisture, and then hang these outdoor furniture cushions upright in a sunny area to dry it. 

How to clean outdoor furniture cushions by the washing machine

1. First place outdoor furniture cushions on the driveway or terrace, spray each cushion with water to ensure that it is fully moistened. Be careful not to put them on the lawn to avoid contamination with dirt and weeds.
2. Apply the laundry detergent to your outdoor furniture cushions and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
3. Put your outdoor furniture cushions in the washing machine, read the maintenance instructions, select the appropriate cleaning file, and avoid excessive vibration to deform cushions.
4. After cleaning, gently tap the pad to restore it to its original shape to prevent the pad from shrinking and deforming after machine washing.
5. Spray fabric protection sprays on the entire area of cushions to form a protective layer.
6. Place it in a sunny area to dry it completely.

How to clean outdoor furniture cushions by pressure washing?

1. Place your outdoor furniture cushions on the driveway or terrace and spray each cushion with water to ensure that cushions are fully moistened. Be careful not to put cushions on the lawn to avoid contamination with dirt and weeds.
2. Pour detergent into the storage tank of the pressure washer.
3. Connect the garden hose to the high-pressure washer, and then adjust the water height to ensure that the water flows through the entire machine. At this time, pay attention to check that the connection between the hose and the high-pressure cleaner is firm.
4. Connect the cleaning nozzle to the hose of the pressure washer, turn on the machine switch, and spray each cushion fully. Pay attention to keep the nozzle and the pad at an appropriate distance to prevent the pressure washer from damaging the fabric on their surface.
5. After spraying with a pressure cleaner, if there are still stubborn stains on these cushions, you need to apply the detergent again to the designated area, and then gently wipe with a brush.
6. Use a high-pressure cleaner to fully clean the detergent solution on the cushions.
7. Spray fabric protection sprays on the entire area of the mat to form a protective layer.
8. Remove the majority of the moisture by pressing your cushions of outdoor furniture with your hands, and then hang them upright in a sunny area to dry it.

How to clean special stains on your outdoor furniture cushions?

Bird droppings

Outdoor furniture cushions will inevitably be contaminated on the outdoor mat, but you don’t have to worry too much, we can always find a suitable cleaning method. When cleaning bird droppings, wait for them to dry completely and gently scrape them off with a spatula. You will find that most of the stains have been removed at this time, leaving only a circle of white or gray marks on the mat, which greatly reduces the difficulty of cleaning. At this time, you only need to fully moisten the area, then apply the detergent, and let it rest for 5-10 minutes, so that the detergent is fully saturated with the stain, wipe gently with a brush, and then wash with water to remove the remaining stains. Pay attention to sprinkling fabric protection spray after rinsing and drying in a place with sufficient sunlight to prevent it from breeding mold.

Mold

In the morning and evening when the weather is humid outdoors, your outdoor cushions are easily contaminated with mist, and some mold will breed over time. When cleaning, first soak the designated area with warm water, then apply enough detergent, and wipe it with a microfiber cloth after standing for 10 minutes. If this step still fails to remove some mold stains, you need to consider using an appropriate amount of bleach, which can usually solve the problem. But before you read the cleaning instructions on your cushions’ label, because not all cushion materials can be used with bleach, follow the label instructions for cleaning, to prevent damage to your outdoor furniture cushions. Finally, rinse them, sprinkle the fabric protection spray, and place it in a sunny area for drying.

Grease

Oil stains are generally difficult to clean, but fortunately, many cleaning tools for oil stains have been developed on the market, such as oil-absorbing paper, which can greatly reduce our difficulty in cleaning. For the oil stains and the grease of some insects on these cushions, first, absorb the oil stains on the surface with oil-absorbing paper; secondly, apply an absorbent powder such as starch to the area; After the powder is allowed to stand for 15 minutes, use a spatula to gently remove the powder. If the oil pollution is serious, you can repeat this step. Then gently wipe the designated area with a fiber cloth dipped in detergent to remove the remaining stains; finally wash thoroughly with water, fully sprinkle the fabric protection spray, and place it in a sunny area for drying.

The above are some methods for cleaning outdoor furniture cushions. I believe these methods must have a suitable for you, help your outdoor furniture cushions look new, and add more comfort and beauty to your outdoor entertainment. I hope this article can help you, and everyone is welcome to share the tips for daily cleaning cushions.

Reference Sources

• https://www.remarkablefurniture.com.au/blogs/maintenance/maintaining-your-outdoor-furniture-for-longevity
• https://www.remarkablefurniture.com.au/blogs/maintenance/remove-fake-tan-stains-from-fabric